Re: Digest Number 388

I have been on this list for approximately two months and I am very
interested in micotonal music. While I understand the basic idea, I do not
understand it in great detail. What are some books I can read on this
subject and where can I get them? Also, what are some good microtonal albums
for beginners interested in the music?

FOUREGUMP@aol.com wrote...

>I have been on this list for approximately two months and I am very
>interested in micotonal music. While I understand the basic idea, I
>do not understand it in great detail. What are some books I can read
>on this subject and where can I get them? Also, what are some good
>microtonal albums for beginners interested in the music?

For recordings -- I have over 100 explicitly microtonal recordings -- I
recommend the following...

http://lumma.org/topten.html

As far as books go, I guess it really depends on the angle you're interested
in. Two I found essential are Harry Partch's _Genesis of a Music_ and David
Doty's _Just Intonation Primer_. The former is available from Amazon.com for
$15 US; search books for "Partch". The latter is available from the Just
Intonation Network...

http://www.dnai.com/~jinetwk/

If you're more interested in temperament and/or the extension of common
practice theory, you can't do better than Easley Blackwood's _The Structure
of Recognizable Diatonic Tunings_. Unfortunately, it's out of print. I was
able to find it in the New York public library. An excellent book on
acoustics and tuning in Bill Sethares' _Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale_.
Search Amazon for "Sethares".

-Carl